Rotary impact curb breaker



April 21, 1964 A. G. CALVERT 3,129,929

ROTARY IMPACT CURB BREAKER Filed June 12, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Bull PIC-ll INVENTOR. A. I. GEORG E CALVERT A ril '21, 1964 A. I. G. CALVERT 3, ,9

Q ROTARY IMPACT CURB BREAKER Filed. June 12, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVE NTOR, A. I. GEORGE CALVERT BY f 4 M A ril 21, 1964 A. 1. e. CALVERT ROTARY IMPACT CURB BREAKER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 12, 1961 INVENTQIL A. l. GEORGE CALVERT 3,129,?29 ROTARY IMIACT CURB BREAKER A. I. George Calvert, RO. Box 9, Council Blufis, Iowa Filed .iune 12, 1961, Ser. No. 118,228 3 Claims. ((31. 26214) The object of this invention is to provide a machine for breaking highway curbing.

Heretofore, the breaking of highway curbing has been accomplished either by manual labor, by drop hammer devices, or by pneumatic rams.

However, none of these prior art devices have the advantage of continuous uninterruped motion which involves a movement back to precede each curb breaking stroke whereby much energy is wasted in the stop and go effect.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a curb breaking machine having breaking elements which define continuous circular motion.

A further object is to provide a curb breaking machine which has continuous linear travel action in alignment with the curbing of a roadway.

A further object is to provide a machine as described which is adapted to pulverize a row of lumps of concrete, asphalt, aggregate, or other roadway material, whereupon such lumping materials are disposed of.

Yet a further object is to provide a machine with means for delivering the broken curbing or other material out of the machine in a row to one side of the machine where it can be easily reclaimed for other uses.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, drawings and claims, the scope of the invention not being limited to the drawings themselves as the drawings are only for the purpose of illustrating a way in which the principles of this invention can be applied.

Other embodiments of the invention utilizing the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended clah'ns.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a frontal elevation of the curb breaking machine of this invention, a highway and curb being shown in cross section.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan View of the machine of FIG- URE 1, and showing also unbroken and broken portions of curbing.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the hammer assembly portion of the machine, portions of the housing thereof being broken away showing the hammer therebeneath.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the portions of FIGURE 3 as they are seen from the righthand side of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a detail showi: the manner of mounting of hammers on a hamrnv ,a/ying disc.

Also shown in FIGURE 5 in phantom lines are alternate positions with respect to the disc-carrying shaft which a hammer can assume and does assume on each succeeding disc whereby ahammer of diiferent discs strikes the curbing at different times to alternate the impact load.

FIGURE 6 is a view-in-section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, highway is there shown at 10 having a curbing 12. An inner side of the curbing is inclined upwardly and outwardly as shown at 14.

In accordance with this invention, a housing is provided having forward and rearward ends 22 and 24 through which a shaft 39 is journaled.

The shaft 3% is horizontal and is disposed in use in parallelism with the elongated curbing 12.

As best seen in FIGURE 3, the shaft 30 has a plurality United States Patent 0 of spaced discs 34- on it, the discs 34 being spaced apart equidistantly longitudinally of the shaft 30 whereby they are disposed one behind the other successively.

Each disc 34 preferably has a hub 36 attached to it, and as best seen in FIGURE 5, each hub 36 is provided with a plurality of spaced keyways 50 which are equidistantly spaced apart around the circumference of an inner bore 54 of the hub 36.

The shaft 30 is provided with a keyway 58 extending longitudinally thereon for receiving a key 60 therein.

The key 60 also fits in the keyways 50 and the number of keyways 5t) and their positions will be later described.

Each disc has hammer-holding bars disposed one on each side of a connecting member 88 having a clevis portion 50 at one end with portions received on each side of the disc 34, the clevis 90 being secured by a bolt 58 through openings in the clevis portion 90 and an opening Hit in the disc 34.

Another end portion 104 of the connecting member 88 is provided with an indentation which is preferably frusto-pyramidical shaped for providing four sides of the indentation.

The purpose of the particular shape of the indentations 126 is to receive complementary frustro-pyramidical protrusions 139 which extend inwardly from the hammerholding bars 149, best seen in FIGURE 6, which latter are arranged in pairs, one bar disposed on each side of the connecting member 8 for receiving the latter between inner ends of the hammer-holding bars 140 and for receiving a preferably rectangular hammer between the outer ends of each pair of hammer-holding bars 80.

The bars 80 have an inwardly extending protrusion 120 spaced to extend into the indentations 120 and also at their other ends have other protrusions 154 disposed for extending into other indentations 156 which latter are disposed one on each side of the respective hammer 150, the indentations 156 and protrusions 154 also preferably being frustro-pyramidical in shape.

The shape of the indentations 120 and 156 can be partially ascertained from the cross sectional view in FIGURE 6 and can be seen further in that the other sides of the hammer-holding bars 80 also have frustro-pyramidical recesses 161 therein horizontally to the frustro-pyramidical protrusions 154. The recesses are of no importance to operation, but are shown in the drawing in FIGURE 5 and since these recesses 160, as shown, are the same as the recesses 156 and 126), the recesses thereby illustrate in another view, the shape of the recesses 120 and 156.

Each hammer-holding bar 86 has an opening 174) extending transversely thereto for receiving a bolt 174 which is adapted to draw the bars together to compress them against and to firmly grip the connecting member 88 and the respective hammer 150.

As best seen in FIGURE 5, there are four equidistantly spaced apart positions on each disc at which four interconnecting members 88 are mounted for carrying four sets of hammer-holding bars 8t} and four hammers 150.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that the outer periphery of the swath of those disc and hammer sets which are disposed toward the forward end of the machine are smaller and that those disc and hammer sets which are disposed progressively toward the rearward end of the machine have hammer swathed peripheries which are of progressively larger diameter whereby as the machine moves along a curbing, progressive chunks of the curbing are broken away by progressive disc and hammer sets as are found much superior to a construction in which the outer periphery of the slot of each disc and hammer set might be of the same diameter as overloads the machine unnecessarily.

As discussed in the above paragraph, it will be seen that the radii of the forward sets of hammers, at the lower end of FIGURE 3, are lesser than the radii of hammers of sets disposed progressively rearwardly with respect to the direction of travel (the rearward side being the upper end as seen in FIGURE 3), whereby it can be said that the radii of the hammers and the disposition of the axis of rotation represented by the shaft 3-8 are so correlated with the line of draft (which in the machine illustrated in the drawings is parallel with the shaft 30 and in the direction of the arrow 55b, later described) the hammers disposed progressively rearwardly along the axis of the rotor shaft 33 project progressively farther from an imaginary line (which can be imagined to be along the axis of shaft Sll) parallel to the line of draft and extending through the central part of the rotor 30 whereby those hammers of the rotor which project progressively farther from such imaginary line extend farther into a curb area, which latter can be defined as an area occupied by a curb, or an area formerly occupied by a curb or partially removed curb, and whereby as the vehicle is moved longitudinally of a curbing along the edge of a road, the hammers of the rotor will move transversely of the curbing for striking the curbing from the side to break away forwardly protruding portions of the curbing and whereby hammers disposed forwardly along the axis, (the latter illustrated in the drawings as the axis of shaft 39) striking the curbing first and hammers disposed progressively real-wardly of the axis progressively striking the curbing.

As thus described, a curbing is continuously broken.

Also as best seen in FIGURE 5, each of the disc-harnmer sets has its hammers in a different rotational position from the next adjacent disc and hammer set whereby, for purposes of illustration, and as seen in FIGURE 5, the position A can indicate the position of a disc and hamrner set and the phantom li e position B can illustrate a position of a next successive disc and hammer set as it will be seen in end view.

Similarly position C will illustrate a still further successive hammer position of the next further successive disc and hammer set hammer, a still further corresponding hammer of a successive disc and hammer set being shown at 5D.7!

The forwardmost disc and hammer set strikes a section of unbroken paving first and then the next rearward disc and hammer set takes its turn since its corresponding downwardly extended hammer would be in the relative position shown in phantom lines at B in FIGURE 5, etc.

The various settings of the discs are achieved by setting each successive disc in a diiferent rotational position, thereby matching the key 63 with dif erent respective ones of the keyways 50 in each successive respective hub 36.

Referring now to FIGURE 1, it will be seen that the housing 20 is supported on a vertically extending frame member 200 which latter is suitably connected by a frame member 218 to a generally horizontally extending frame member 212 which latter in turn extends across the upper side of a carrying vehicle generally indicated at 2%.

The horizontal frame section 212 is connected by a horizontal pivot pin 215 to a vertically extending plate 220 which is itself disposed on a base 222 carried by a plurality of hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies 224 which latter are adapted to be vertically extendable.

The assemblies 224 are disposed upon a platform 230 which is slidable horizontally in the direction of the arrow 232 for control by a hydraulic cylinder assembly 242 which has one end attached to the platform 2.30 and its other end attached to a post 2% supported on a bug 250. The bug 250 is itself supported by a central section 260 of the vehicle or tractor 24b.

The central section 260 is supported upon track assemblies 262 whereby the vehicle or tractor 241i) is especially adapted to carry the great Weight of the structure earlier described and also to carry the weight of a motor 280 which is mounted on the opposite end of the horizontal section 212 of the frame from the section 200 of the frame. The motor 286 is adapted to drive the gear 286 which in turn drives a chain 290 which extends over gears 300 and extends drivably across a gear 320, best seen in FIGURE 1, and also seen in FIGURES 3 and 4. Since all of the gears 286, 30! and 320 are of substantially the same construction, the full line illustration thereof in FIG- URES 3 and 4 is believed to sufficiently illustrate all. The gear 326 is mounted on the shaft 30 for driving it and the gears Still are idler geared, one of which is mounted on the frame section 216, the other of which is mounted upon a plate 34% attached to the frame sections 200, 210 and 212.

Adjustments of the housing 29 with respect to the vehicle 2 40 is accomplished by the operation of the cylinder M2 by suitable control means not shown. The cylinder 242 urges the sliding platform 230 in the direction of the arrow 232 because the platform 230 is adapted to slide in a trackway 359 since both are elongated transversely of the vehicle 240.

The vertical position of the housing 2t) is controlled by a cylinder 4% which is connected by a pin 410 to upstanding brackets 4-12 mounted on the upper side of the slidable platform 230.

The cylinder 4% has its upper end pivotally connected as shown in dotted lines at 416 to the horizontal frame portion 212. Since the cylinder 400 is extendable and retractable, it is adapted to guide the frame member 212 to pivot and are about its pivot point 216 and thereby to cause the housing 20 to raise and lower in a similar are, although still other vertical positioning is available at the cylinder 224.

The driver of the machine is seated at Silt) and has controls 592 which are connected by means not shown to the various cylinders above described as well as the motor 28% and to the driving engine, not shown, of the vehicle 246, such engine being received in the central portion 260 of the vehicle 240.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the forward side 22 of the housing 20 has an opening 549 therein approximately the shape of the curbing 12 whereby the housing 20 can receive the curbing and yet substantially protect the remainder of the area in which the disc assembly is located to prevent pieces of flying concrete from endangering workers.

As the curbing is broken up during forward progress of the machine as indicated by the arrow 55!) in FIGURE 2, the curbing is reduced to small particles which are engaged by a rearward wall 560 of a lower rearward portion of the housing 20. The wall 560 inclines rearwardly and outwardly from the inner side of the housing 26) and thereby guides the aggregate through an open space in the rearward side of the lower. guard portions 570 of the housing. The open space being indicated at 530 in FIGURE 3 and it is through this space that the broken particles of curbing pass as seen at 600 in FIG- URE 2.

In operation it will be seen that this machine can go continuously along a curbing, that its vehicle portion 240 is adapted to travel along a finished roadway whereby its hammer assembly portion can be at all times effectively and properly positioned and adjustment can easily be made for varying conditions.

From the foregoing description, it is thought to be obvious that a curb breaker constructed in accordance with my invention is particularly well adapted for use, by reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be assembled and operated, and it will also be obvious that my invention can be changed and modified without departing from the principles and spirit thereof, and for this reason, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts therein shown in carrying out my invention in practice, except as claimed.

I claim:

1. A curb breaking machine comprising a wheeled vehicle, a hammer assembly comprising: a rotor, said rotor having an axis extending generally longitudinally of the line of draft of said vehicle, a plurality of hammers mounted on said rotor, said hammers being spaced apart along the axis of said rotor, whereby as said vehicle is moved longitudinally of a curbing said hammers will move transversely of said curbing for striking said curoing to break away upwardly protruding portions of said curbing, hammers disposed forwardly along said axis striking said curbing first and hammers disposed progressively rearwardly along said axis for progressively striking said curbing, means for rotatably driving said rotor and said vehicle whereby as said vehicle continuously moves, said curbing is continuously broken, said rotor and its hammers being arranged such that substantially all or" said hammers successively reach curbing striking position whereby vibration of the machine is minimized.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which hammers disposed progressively rearwardly of each other along said axis have progressively greater radius of swath for the progressive hammering of a curbing as said vehicle moves forwardly.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the radii of said hammers and the disposition of said axis are so correlated with the line of draft that hammers disposed progressively rearwardly along said axis project progressively farther from an imaginary line parallel to the line of draft and extending through the central part of said rotor, whereby those hammers of said rotor which project progressively farther from said imaginary line extend progressively farther into a curb area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,518,505 Gray Dec. 9, 1924 1,889,129 Nielsen Nov. 29, 1932 2,715,525 Gleason Aug. 16, 1955 3,072,391 McDarrah Jan. 8, 1963 

1. A CURB BREAKING MACHINE COMPRISING A WHEELED VEHICLE, A HAMMER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: A ROTOR, SAID ROTOR HAVING AN AXIS EXTENDING GENERALLY LONGITUDINALLY OF THE LINE OF DRAFT OF SAID VEHICLE, A PLURALITY OF HAMMERS MOUNTED ON SAID ROTOR, SAID HAMMERS BEING SPACED APART ALONG THE AXIS OF SAID ROTOR, WHEREBY AS SAID VEHICLE IS MOVED LONGITUDINALLY OF A CURBING SAID HAMMERS WILL MOVE TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CURBING FOR STRIKING SAID CURBING TO BREAK AWAY UPWARDLY PROTRUDING PORTIONS OF SAID CURBING, HAMMERS DISPOSED FORWARDLY ALONG SAID AXIS STRIKING SAID CURBING FIRST AND HAMMERS DISPOSED PROGRESSIVELY REARWARDLY ALONG SAID AXIS FOR PROGRESSIVELY STRIKING SAID CURBING, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY DRIVING SAID ROTOR AND SAID VEHICLE WHEREBY AS SAID VEHICLE CONTINUOUSLY MOVES, SAID CURBING IS CONTINUOUSLY BROKEN, SAID ROTOR AND ITS HAMMERS BEING ARRANGED SUCH THAT SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID HAMMERS SUCCESSIVELY REACH CURBING STRIKING POSITION WHEREBY VIBRATION OF THE MACHINE IS MINIMIZED. 